Prompt Challenge #001: Painful Attraction
Title: Painful Attraction
Author: K1M333
Rating: PG because of a few bad words
Genre: Introspection?
Pairing/Character(s): Doumeki (with mentions of Watanuki, Haruka, Himawari and Yuuko)
Prompt Challenge: # 001 Unfinished Business
Medium: Fic
- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ -
Painful Attraction
Shizuka Doumeki was used to pain.
At a young age, Shizuka had already experienced suffering. Afflicted with a frail constitution, he was what one would consider a weak child. To solve this problem, Haruka started dressing his grandson in a girls’ kimono, assuring him that the ancient Shinto rite would help him grow stronger both physically and emotionally. It took some time, but eventually it worked. Shizuka developed a robust body and the ability to overcome adversity. Even when his grandfather passed away, Shizuka stayed strong and solid. He had been doing well for several years, advancing through adolescence with an air of indifference…
And then he met Watanuki.
Tagging along with the other teen proved to be fairly hazardous to his health. Not only did Shizuka risk permanent hearing impairment due to Watanuki’s perpetual - and very loud - shouting, he also found himself constantly dragged into perilous situations.
Their nightly mission to the school where Kunogi’s friends played the Angel game resulted in the dislocation of his elbow and many scratches all along his right arm.
Having his soul stolen then returned on Valentine’s Day gave him the worst headache he had ever known - never mind the huge bump on his forehead.
His ten-hour wait under the rain left him in a state of extreme exhaustion, with fingertips bruised from digging into the rocky soil and a light cold to boot.
He gained a few cuts on his left hand when he prevented the girl with invisible wings from slashing at Watanuki with her utility knife.
He also narrowly escaped being devoured by a crowd of angry spirits when Watanuki lost his grip on the Ground Cherry they shared during the Hyakki Yako.
All those injuries might have discouraged anyone of lesser endurance from befriending Watanuki. Not Shizuka.
Sure, having his arm in a sling or being attacked by supernatural creatures wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it wasn’t unbearable either. After all, Shizuka was used to pain. And, frankly, staying by Watanuki’s side was well worth the inconveniences.
Firstly, it gave him the opportunity to partake in all kinds of tasty food. Watanuki’s cooking was definitely one of the most delicious things Shizuka had ever eaten. Better yet, he could request any meal, no matter how difficult the recipe or how scarce the ingredients, and Watanuki would prepare it. Of course, there would be much protesting, yelling and flailing involved, but Shizuka would still receive his desired lunch, neatly arranged in a bento box and delectable as always.
Actually, the flailing was another reason why Shizuka liked hanging out with Watanuki. The gawky teen never ceased to entertain Shizuka with his bizarre movements. An irate Watanuki was all sharp angles and abrupt motions, aggressive gestures and sporadic twitches, wild gesticulating and furious stomping. Sometimes he would even perform improvised little dances, swinging his arms around like a windmill, spinning on himself like a ballerina, or rolling on the ground like an idiot. The only drawback of Watanuki’s flailing was that it usually went together with shrieks and screams. Fortunately, Shizuka simply had to plug his ears with his fingers to block out the nuisance.
Furthermore, Watanuki gave Shizuka access to a world his grandfather had frequently told him about when he was still a feeble child, a world he had given up on ever entering when he realized that he couldn’t perceive what Haruka saw. Shizuka wasn’t the kind of person who needed to witness something to believe it real, but being able to interact with the creatures that were featured in his grandfather’s folklore stories… Well, it certainly made life more interesting, if a little more dangerous.
All in all, Shizuka considered that the risk entailed in keeping Watanuki company was acceptable. His ability to repel evil spirits provided Shizuka with a suitable motive for assisting Watanuki in his paranormal adventures, for watching his funny flailing sessions and for ordering delicious lunches from him; and if it cost Shizuka a small amount of bodily damage in exchange for all those things, then so be it.
As already said, Shizuka Doumeki was used to pain.
But there were a few things he wasn’t used to.
He wasn’t used to the worry that started churning in his gut when Watanuki mentioned to him that Yuuko would be absent for a few days.
He wasn’t used to the irritation mingled with concern that was quickly rising in his chest as he carried Watanuki to the school infirmary after the idiot - who just couldn’t take care of himself - collapsed during the marathon.
He wasn’t used to the fear squeezing his lungs and gripping his heart as he rushed to the place where he had to fetch an almost unconscious Watanuki, Yuuko’s ominous words still resonating in his mind: “If this continues, Watanuki might disappear…”
He wasn’t used to the frustration burning in the pit of his stomach as, bow in hand, he followed from afar the dumbass with no sense of self-preservation who had left for the park despite his deathly sickness and all the warnings he had received.
He wasn’t used to the dejection that filled him when he saw the hurt and resentment in Watanuki’s blue eyes after he shot the ghost lady - but he had no regrets, because he had already made his choice a long time ago.
He wasn’t used to the apprehension that flashed through him when he caught sight of Watanuki in the school corridor the following day, the unwanted emotion troubling his earlier state of resignation.
He wasn’t used to the surprise that left him open-mouthed when Watanuki invited him quite unexpectedly (and with feigned reluctance, Shizuka was sure of it) to join Kunogi and him for lunch.
Neither was he used to the warm feeling of contentment that spread through his whole body as Watanuki flailed and yelled in response to his quips, the promise of a delicious meal and the return to normalcy bringing a rare smile to his lips.
Shizuka Doumeki wasn’t used to all this… but he could get used to that last one.
- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ -
A/N: I hope I’m not too late! (I told you I was a horrible procrastinator. XD)
This is one of the first xxxHolic stories that I’ve ever written - the boys didn’t even share an eye yet! - and the preliminary version was so painful to read that I had to work on it a lot more than I’d have liked. Hopefully the new version is good enough to post. There still are a few things that I’m not pleased with, but… Meh. This will have to do. XD